107 



H E L I C O P S .—Wagler. 



Genus Helicops. — Characters. Head smaller than the neck, depressed; eyes 

 superior; loral plate wanting; superior orbital plates not projecting; posterior 

 orbital two; anterior single; mouth inferior, ascending at the angle; three or 

 four posterior maxillary teeth largest; body robust, and covered above with 

 smooth scales. 



HELICOPS ERYTHROGRAMMUS.— Dawrfm. 



Plate XXV. 



Characters. Head short, depressed, small, and not distinct from the neck; 

 nostrils superior, and placed near the snout; eyes small, directed upwards; body 

 stout; superior surface bluish-black, with three longitudinal red lines, and a row 

 of bluish-black spots on each side of the abdomen; tail short, one-eighth of total 

 length. PI. 178. Sc. 39. 



SrNONTMES. Coluber erythrogrammus, Baudin, Rept, vol. vii. p. 93, tab. S3, f. 2. 

 Natrix erythrogrammus, Merrem, Versuch eines Syst. der Amphib., p. 117. 

 Helicops erythrogrammus, Wagler, Naturlich. Syst. der Amphib., p. 170. 



Description. The head is short and depressed, smaller than the neck; and the 

 mouth is also small. The vertical plate is short and pentagonal, presenting an 

 acute angle backwards; the superior orbital is narrow and almost a parallelogram 

 in shape; the occipital plates are large, polygonal, and broadest before; the 

 frontal plates are quadrilateral, large, with the inferior and posterior angle 

 forming a small part of the orbit of the eye; there are two posterior orbital 



